Why am I bleeding in pregnancy?

Question: Why am I bleeding in pregnancy?

Answer: Any type of bleeding in pregnancy needs to be reported to your doctor or midwife immediately, it is a pregnancy warning sign. But what are the possible reasons for bleeding in pregnancy?

Early Pregnancy
• Miscarriage
  This is the loss of a pregnancy prior to 20 weeks gestation. It can be from a genetic complication, blighted ovum or other complications.

• Implantation Bleeding
  This is when you have spotting that occurs very early in pregnancy as the pregnancy is burrowing into the uterine lining.

• Subchorionic Hemorrhage
  A small pocket of blood forms under the placenta, diagnosed by early ultrasound.

• Ectopic Pregnancy
  This happens when the pregnancy occurs outside of the normal uterine location, most often in the fallopian tube, hence you sometimes hear the name tubal pregnancy.

• Placenta Previa
  Where the placenta is covering or partially covering the cervix.

• Vanishing Twin Syndrome
  

• Other & Unknown Causes
  You may be told that you have spotting after a vaginal exam or recent sexual intercourse. Sometimes a cause for spotting or bleeding is never found. And it eventually stops with no harm to the pregnancy.
Later Pregnancy
• Dilation of the Cervix
  If your cervix is dilating, either early as in the case of preterm labor or miscarriage or in a term labor, you can have some spotting, also known as bloody show.

• Placental Abruption
  This is an obstetrical emergency, when the placenta is separating from the uterus.

(These times are most common but can certainly happen in other parts of pregnancy in some cases.)

If you experience bleeding, your practitioner will most likely ask you to come in to be seen. You may have an ultrasound and/or blood work done as well as a vaginal exam. This will help your practitioner determine the cause of the bleeding and what steps need to be taken.

_{Source:
Obstetrics: Normal and Problem Pregnancies. Gabbe, S, Niebyl, J, Simpson, JL. Fifth Edition.}